Welcome to the PokéCommunity!

Hi there! Thanks for visiting PokéCommunity. We’re a group of Pokémon fans dedicated to providing the best place on the Internet for discussing ideas and sharing fan-made content. Welcome! We’re glad you’re here.

In order to join our community we need you to create an account with us. Doing so will allow you to make posts, submit and view fan art and fan fiction, download fan-made games, and much more. It’s quick and easy; just click here and follow the instructions.

Hello, I am planning on making a hack, and I've had 3 starters that I've had in my mind that I've really polished since I was a child. I am planning on making a game that goes back to the nostalgiac feeling of playing RSE and previous games for me. These starters were created when RSE came out... and I've since them just had them in my head. However, I've played many Pokemon hacks with Fakemon and they feel so empty to me. I just feel like it detracts from the actual hack.

I'm not even planning on having these starters available from the start, and rather, have them be more like "mascots"; kind of like how Pikachu is. You see them represented in the game as sort of an overarching theme.

Anyway, I may be overthinking things. Basically, I know it depends a lot on the hack that is being made, but do you think that having fakemon enhances the experience?

I enjoy battling fakemon in Pokemon hacks. The creativity of some hackers is really astounding in terms of how well they can create their fakemon. I definitely like legendary Pokemon as fakemon (Pokemon Ruby Destiny series), but I think regular fakemon are certainly appreciated in hacks as well.

In my opinion, fakemon ruin the hacks. You don't know the types, EVs, stats, and learnset. As a T-Fanger, I was able to beat a particular part of Snakewood easily; but my friends thought that the Red Denjuu were all Fire-types, while they were actually Water types. I'd say that some fakemon are okay, such as Qwilshark, because the type is known, EVs can be easily estimated, and a fairly nostalgic feeling is given

My approach is to use Fakemon with caution. It suits some hacks better than others. Depends on how well they're sprited, and what kind of ratio of Fakemon to real Pokemon there are. ...For example, I have an idea for a hack where the premise is the evil team creating new Pokemon and forcing new evolutions - all Fakemon. That particular case would work really well. And I've got no issue with Modmon, or whatever you'd call it - things like retyping Cohagrigus as Ghost/Steel. That works really well, in my opinion.

__________________

I'm currently teaching myself about ROM hacking to make my first hack. It stars a lab aide whose professor was kidnapped to help make Mewtwo. The same team also wants the aide's Kabuto(ps) to upgrade into a Genesect. Dark Fakemon evolutions and hybrids will also play a central role to the villainous Team Helix. Currently I'm fairly confident with YAPE and AdvanceMap. In a few weeks I'm likely to start putting a team together. I suck at spriting, and I can't understand the scripting tutorials.

I think using Fakemon gives the game a different feel in my eyes, as if you were playing a new pokemon game. However, if the designs are bad, that's when it can hamper the rating of the hack. I usually like seeing Fakemon because it gives it that added mystery feel; You never know when it might evolve or what techs it may learn.

I think it definitely can enhance the experience to include fakemon, if they're designed and sprited well. It feels more like a whole new game encountering new Pokemon rather than the same old ones in all the other hacks and official games.

I think that it depends on what the Fakemon look like and what they are made up of stat and movepool-wise. I personally did not enjoy the fakemon in Pokemon Chaos Black, but if they are given the time and effort, I think they at least have a chance of being appreciated.

Generally, I don't like Fakemon in hacks. It's not about not knowing the movepools or anything (that's actually better for the experience, in my opinion), it's just that they usually don't fit in with the rest of the Pokemon. Unless the Fakemon are pulled off really well, they end up taking away from the experience for me.

They way I see it is if you are going to do fake pokemon, don't do a couple it would be better to do something like I am doing were I am making a new pokedex with only a few original pokemon in it the rest are fakemon.

Personally, I haven't finished any hack with fakemon (except one, let me finish) since they are overused. However, DJG's Ruby Destiny Life of Guardians really brought them in since the story developed well around them. However, the little fakemon here and there weren't great in my opinion.
Having fakemon only as legendaries/rares brings in the loving feel, like how I felt about Gabrieleon and Chaomega, etc. I hope you take these thoughts into consideration. Developing a good storyline around the fakemon helps all the way!

It really depends on how well made they are. If they look nice, given decent stats and a usable movepool I'd certainly use one. For example, I used the evolution of Skarmory in Life of Guardians and really liked it, however some people will avoid hacks containing Pokémon. If you get the balance right and don't overdo it then I think Fakémon really add to hacks, especially legendaries.

I think Fakemon are always neat. I'd say that they're one of the biggest areas where there's huge potential to see something cool and interesting, but I feel like they also create a lot of work for the creator which means they may never finish the project!

For me, Fakemon do enhance the experience of playing a Pokemon hack.
1) Originality. Less people have Fakemon because of their reputation and the additional work they need.

2) Difficulty. I know pretty much all of the Pokemon and their strengths and weaknesses. Adding Fakemon makes the hack more difficult without being ridiculous because you have to experiment first, you will not know their weaknesses right off the bat. You will also not know which Fakemon are powerful, so really, you will not know which Pokemon are ultimately powerful or weak, thus having your team composed of not just powerful Pokemon, but a more diverse group.

3) More suspense. You do not know the movepools of the Fakemon. You also do not know whether your Fakemon is going to evolve. When we do not know what is weak and powerful, we will be inclined to experiment and see which Fakemon are worth keeping. Also, hackers can be more creative with the story of their hack by adding a unique attribute to their main legendaries (if that is where the story is centered on.)

4) Wow factor. Since I would not know all of the Fakemon in a hack, whenever I see one that is ultra cool or ultra intimidating = wow.

Fakemon encourage me to catch more pokemon - I'm not going to bother catching a tentacool or a spearow, but if there are a few fakemon then I want to know their types and moves and stuff. It can be hard to come up with good ones, though, and sometimes they aren't very subtle. New evolutions are always exciting.

I wholeheartedly agree with what gogojjtech said, about how it helps to write the storyline in a way which really brings the fakemon in. Otherwise I find myself seeing a fakemon and thinking "do you even go here?"

As long as they're designed well, I'm all for Fakemon. However, make sure they fit in with the game. Like they should be in a separate region or in a certain part of the region. Fake legendaries are cool too. I have only one Fakemon in my hack, which is a legendary. Do what you want.

I find fakemon to be quite awesome and act as an incentive to join the world of pokemon once again. The one thing I don't like is when the whole dex is filled with fakemon, but when a few fakemon are added here and there it helps add to the world that the rom hacker created.

I believe Fakemon are always good if they are designed well and form a quick glance I can make an assumption about its move pool and its type, I don't mind if their are new legionaries because that to me makes me feel like its a completely new Pokemon but only if it is integrated with the story well and the plot is good to focus around it.

__________________

"I make stupid shirts and people like it so, I am grateful." ~Tyler, The Creator

I'm always for Fakemon BUT most people seem to be focusing on design. I find that, to make convincing Fakemon, you need extreme dedication and fantastic attention to detail. For example, you need to not only make front and back sprites, but also party icons. If you want to go even further, you need to change (or delete) footprints, either enter new cries or make sure the Fakemon's cry lines up with whoever it's replacing, change their sizes, maybe even change how much experience they give. THEN, not only do they get new movesets, you have to balance the moves. For example, making sure there's always atleast one level 1 move so the Pokemon aren't stuck only with Struggle (I see this happen a lot with evolved Fakemon/inserted Pokemon), make sure they still have good moves if caught at a high level in the wild, make sure the Pokemon don't learn moves that are too strong too early and vice versa. AND make sure that they learn TMs and HMs that make sense, this step is very easy to overlook, and can become problematic if you change TMs. Oh, and don't forget to change stats and abilities so they're not just clones of the Pokemon they're replacing!

Really, this is why it's way easier to have Fakemon in fangames instead of hacks, haha. But if people can accomplish all (or most) of these essentials in a Fakemon hack, I think they deserve support and not have so many people brush them off because they hate Fakemon.

I feel Fakemon are hit or miss. Sure, you don't know their stats and types until you catch one, but that adds to the challenge! It also makes you want to finish the PokeDex. But, like Pokemon Black and White, it's not a good idea to get rid of the classics. Keep some in the Regional Dex. They also have to look good and make sense of their typing.

The PokéCommunity

Meta

Pokémon characters and images belong to The Pokémon Company International and Nintendo. This website is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Nintendo, Creatures, GAMEFREAK, or The Pokémon Company International. We just love Pokémon.